Improvement in street-car couplings



Jo N STEPHENSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN STREET-CAR CQUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,616, dated January 7, 1873.

CASE E.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN STEPHENSON, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Street-Oars, of which the following is a specification:

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in carsi'or street railways; and

consists in the construction and arrangement of the draw-pin and extension thereof, the drawhead, and the keeper and spring, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 represents a sectional side elevation of a streetcar, showing the device which constitutes my invention; and Fig. 2 is a detail.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the draw-head attached to the car-bottom, constructed with jaws B C as for a clevis connection. D is the draw pin. E is the keeper attached to the dash-rail. F is the extension of the draw-pin, which passes up through the keeper, with a spring, G, attached thereto, the action of which spring is to throw the extension F outward. The latter is constructed with shoulder-stops g on the front or outer side of the extension, by which the drawpin is held down in the draw-head, when the connection is made as seen in the drawing, and held up when the draw-pin is raised as represented in dotted lines. The spring throws the extension F outward in each case, so that the shoulders catch the upper and under side of the keeper. To prevent raising the drawpin too high, I have one or more shoulders, i, on the extension, which strike the under side of the keeper before the draw-pin is raised entirely from the draw-head. These shoulders 43 i are seen in the detail in Fig. 2, which figure shows a front view of the extension at this point. Many serious accidents have occurred in consequence of the insecurity of the draw-pin in the draw-head. The drawpin will work out and release the connection, causing the whittletree to fall against the horses heels, which frequently results in fright and serious accident.

The above-described invention is a perfect security, and prevents the possibility of an accident of this kind. The pin is at all times under the control of the driver, so that it can be drawn at pleasure, and much more readily than in the ordinary manner. The shoulderstop above and below the keeper, with the spring on the opposite side, retains the pin in its proper position, whether it is up or down.

1 do not confine myself to the precise form or arrangement of any of the parts'described, as they may be varied in many ways without departing from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, the following:

In a street-car having a draw-bar, A, with jaws B O and pin D, I claim the rod F, the same being a rigid extension of the pin, and being provided with shoulders g t', spring G, and handle for the driver, all constructed and arranged to operate as set forth.

JOHN STEPHENSON.

Witnesses:

T, B. MosHER, GEO. W. MABEE. 

